I had just arrived at my first staff meeting on the first day of my Komen St. Louis Internship when in walks a cheerful young lady with genuine enthusiasm and instant likeability: Lexie. Over the next 12 weeks, she would be my fellow intern—my phone-answering, T-shirt-folding, blog-posting, copy-making, data-entering partner-in-crime.

Lexie discovered the Komen St. Louis public relations and marketing internship at her university’s career fair for student athletes; Lexie plays soccer for WashU. She was immediately intrigued after hearing Bree DeGraw represent Susan G. Komen St. Louis. Lexie describes the reasons for her instantaneous excitement for the opportunity:

“1) I had no idea there was an affiliate office so close to WashU, 2) my mom has worked in mammography my whole life so I know she would be extremely proud of me for working with Komen and 3) Bree was looking to find a marketing and PR intern for their team! It was the GREATEST NEWS EVER. After a few email correspondences and a meeting, I found myself all set up with a real-person-summer-internship for a company whose mission I wholeheartedly supported.”

This “real-person-summer-internship” has her thinking about her future career. Lexie’s interests are vast and vary by season, just like her Starbucks orders (iced vanilla lattes or caramel macchiatos in the spring, pumpkin spiced lattes in the fall, and peppermint mochas in the winter). Her childhood-self wanted to be a veterinarian. She describes an “undeniable compassion for all the furry things in the world,” but she soon realized it was her truly her big sister’s dream, not her own.

As for her current dream job, Lexie gushes, “I would absolutely LOVE to plan weddings. I really enjoy getting to organize big lists of tasks; I love the color schemes, the flowers, the rehearsals, the catering, the dresses…Being in charge of one of the happiest days of a person’s life would be such an amazing job to have.”

As a young woman in her twenties, the world is Lexie’s oyster! Will she be a vet? A wedding planner? A PR & marketing director? Or possibly the next Elle Woods? If Lexie had to pick a movie to represent her life, she quickly declares, “Legally Blonde!” She explains, “I am super girly and probably give off that typical blonde impression to people, but I actually am a smart person! I also wanted to be a lawyer for a while, and even used her ‘We did it!’ line at the end of my graduation speech.”

Lexie is bubbly and driven, adorable and intellectual, blonde and ambitious, just like Elle Woods. She has an air of congeniality and success. Lexie’s movie persona, Elle, is right in alignment with her self-professed spirit animal: cat. As an avid cat lover, Lexie explains, “they’re just so independent and sassy and funny without trying to be.” This narrative fits Lexie’s personality well. She is a charismatic and amiably feisty go-getter.

Looking back on our time at Komen St. Louis, what moments stand out? Lexie responds thoughtfully, “I think I’ve felt the most proud of myself for finishing bigger projects, like mailing tons of shirts for Sleep in for the Cure or creating a pamphlet for Dine Out for the Cure, as well as for being so closely involved in Race for the Cure. But, now that I’m thinking back about my time at Komen St. Louis, I realize what stands out the most is who I’m working with. I have seen a level of compassion out of my “four new moms” [the Komen St. Louis staff] that I did not even believe to be possible, and have had so much fun hanging out with Shelby in Intern Headquarters. Whether it be cheering me up when I need it, genuinely caring about what is going on in my life, or simply making me laugh with their amazing sense of humor, it is an absolute pleasure seeing each of these women every single day. My time at Komen St. Louis would not be the same without them.”

Lexie is incredibly complimentary of the Komen staff; however, she complements the women of Komen well because she too has the passion and motivation that precede and sustain success. I am incredibly happy to have been able to work closely with her in our Intern Headquarters (a.k.a. the back office of Komen STL, where we have set up camp). Lexie, with her infectious laugh and her lively work ethic, has been the perfect Komen Kompanion for the summer.

Want to know more? Lexie’s here to Fill in the blanks.

I can’t live without my family. They are everything to me, and I would never be able to go a day without talking to them. Please note, this does include my cat, Pancakes.

Before I leave the house, I have to have my apartment keys! (I’m hoping if I write this down it will make me stop forgetting to grab them on the way out…).

If I’m running late, it is most likely because ________________. I’ll be the first to admit that I take forever to get ready in the morning. So if I’m late, there is a 99% chance that is the reason why.

I have way too many Lululemon headbands. I wear them for soccer practice/games, and my collection has grown to somewhere between 30 and 40 different colors. Do not ask me why, because I will not have a good explanation for you